on the trail of the archaic revival

This site is not a just recipe website, although thats what it comes across as. What we are really sharing here are techniques: some of which our ancestors perfected over years and years, all over the world. Fermentation, soaking grains, beneficial herbs, bone broth, & preserving food are all part of what we like to call 'the archaic revival'. We also serve up ideas, challenges and neat foods and vegetables that you may not have tried.

Our priority is to use fresh organic produce, dairy, grains and meats. We begin with the groceries available to us (and that we can afford), preferably at a local farmers market and/or co-op. Once we have our ingredients, then we either look them up in the index of one of our fave cookbooks, or barge ahead on inspiration. One thing we are sure of - organic just tastes (feels!) better. Because we really love food, its all about using wonderful ingredients.

connecting food to farming

Its difficult to over-estimate the value of farmers and their endeavors. Given the importance of their work to our health, they would seem to deserve all our affection and more. We are encouraged by the recent trend away from big agriculture and monoculture. The small (and large) organic farms that are cropping up all around the world are making life better for their communities, and maybe for all of us. Organic meat, cheese, wine and beer are also making inroads to modern life. Sometimes the word 'conscious' comes up in place of organic: this word denotes the sense of personal responsibility that may lead to a better future.

contact us

We welcome your input, comments, submissions and suggestions. If you have questions about a recipe, life in northern california or kung-fu cooking, we would be happy to answer them. mail at wonderfulingredients dot com

roasted red peppers in olive oil

roasting
peppers is incredibly simple, though not entirely easy or without
commitment. i find it best to make a worthy effort and roast as many as
possible at a time. since the oven is hot anyway, i will often roast
beets (covered in the main part of the oven) & eggplants (under the
broiler) along with the peppers. i’ll admit to running out of time (or
steam) a few times and leaving the roasted peppers skins and all in the
fridge for a few days till i could get to skinning them. the trick here
is to steam the peppers; a sealed paper bag or a pot with a lid work equally well. once this is done, the skin
will easily peel off. green peppers work as well as red for roasting,
but this particular recipe is fantastic when paired with good cheese and
hearty bread.

Line
a cookie sheet with parchment paper. arrange the red peppers on the
sheet with their sides touching and place under a hot broiler. our
broiler is in a drawer on the bottom of the oven, i close this and check
on the peppers every few minutes. as each pepper blackens and
blisters, give it a turn. once the peppers have been turned in a circle
and charred on all sides, carefully remove them and immediately place in a paper bag or pot and seal either by scrunching down the top of the paper bag or putting a tight fitting lid on the pot. leave the peppers to steam 10-20 minutes.

Skin,
seed, stem and quarter the peppers, and place in a bowl without their juices. add the minced
garlic, squeeze in the lemon, a pinch or two of salt and chili powder. add
just enough olive oil to coat the peppers and gently mix. taste the seasonings here and adjust with a little more salt if necessary. transfer to the
mason jar, leaving about 1/2" space between the peppers and the top of the jar and cover with oil before securing with a lid. transfer to the
refrigerator or cold storage and let mellow a week before serving. allow the peppers to come to room temperature before serving.